Changan Suzuki to build 1200 dealerships in 2011

Chongqing Changan Suzuki Automobile Co Ltd, a minicar joint venture between Changan Auto and Suzuki Motor, will build more than 1,200 dealerships in China next year, its general manger Tadashi Kondo said in a recent interview with chinanews.com.

Changan Suzuki has opened 1,000 dealerships in China and will increase that number to 1,100 at the end of this year, Kondo said, adding that not all the dealerships in the second- and third-tier cities are standard stores and the company only sets up standard stores in cities with large populations and will later extend to the surrounding areas.

There are, however, some deficiencies in Changan Suzuki's current dealerships, he said, emphasizing that the company will strengthen the management of them later.

Asked if it will help to improve sales of Suzuki's flagship sedan, the Kizashi, in China if putting it into local production given its depressing sales of 10 units in Beijing, he said the company has no specific plans to locally produce the car at present, but once the decision is made, the company will certainly design a model tailored to Chinese consumers.